The Next POTUS Must Secure Our Borders

The United States is facing an immediate threat in its own backyard. Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, your safety is not guaranteed within your own borders. The Mexican/US border is the gaping whole that sank the Titanic. If there were any one particular variable that serves as the catalyst for the many atrocities and rise of Mexican Drug Cartel violence, it would be arms trafficking. The next President of the United States must secure our borders, and it is imperative that the citizens voting in this election understand this.

When looking at the conflict between Mexican Drug Cartels, the one constant that rarely changes is violence. Violence is the American express to power in Mexico. The southern border of the United States stretching from Texas to California is a dangerous security threat from numerous adversaries. The use of firearms in conjunction with others means of terror is the fundamental building block to our nation’s enemies, and our own backyard is ground zero for arms trafficking. By some accounts, almost 90 percent of all firearms that exists in Mexico today were manufactured in the United States. It is estimated that: between 106,700 and 426,729 firearms were purchased on the US/Mexican border, with a worth of $53.7 to 214.6 million. Mexico’s stringent gun laws prevent citizens from carrying firearms, and it is almost impossible to buy guns legally in the country without being a governmental employee. This result’s in the US/Mexican border becoming a gateway for a variety of criminal activity that has a domino effect on the entire country.

Currently, there are 6,600 licensed gun dealers on the north side of the Mexican border. Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California all border this vast amount of unsecured territory. High caliber rifles such as the AR-15 and the AK-47 are the preferred weapons for the drug cartels, and remains in heavy demand. Having an unsecured border allows an opening for terrorist such as ISIS, drug and human traffickers, and arms dealers a safe haven to wreck havoc upon the citizens of this nation.

The real profits are made when citizen’s resale their American made weapons to those who are not legal residents of this nation. Whether you are for stricter gun laws or a staunch supporter of the 2nd amendment, firearms are landing in the wrong hands. This area of US territory is a hub for illegal border crossings, gangs, and drug traffickers to become key players within crime syndicates that stretch the globe. The plain truth is, the government has not done enough to protect its citizens. Regardless of the party of the next president, the Mexican and US border must be strengthened.

In 2012, US governmental agencies identified Mexican drug trafficking organizations operating in at least 22 cities, and in nearly all counties in California. Guns flowing south of the border along with drugs smuggling north of it is facilitated by joint alliances between Mexican and US gangs, and it has created the perfect opening for terrorist to enter the United States well equipped to carry out missions.

A study was conducted, which is entitled: “The Way of The Gun: Estimating firearms trafficking across the U.S and Mexican Border,” found that only 15 percent of guns that are trafficked into Mexico are seized. In the period between 2010 and 2012, 2.2 percent of US gun sales were destined for Mexico. This is a lot of firepower that is unaccounted for.

I believe this evidence shows that the Mexican Drug Cartel conflict is an efficient killing machine powered by US gun laws, and our border serves as the plasma membrane for the injection of a deadly criminal virus. The next POTUS does not have the luxury to pass the buck on the immigration or border issue. Action is needed now; if we wait any longer it may be too late.

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Hayden Williams III is a Pre Medical student at the University of San Francisco and the editor of the Voices section at Bold. He is a modern day renaissance man who blends biological and political theories to birth a new approach to philosophy, which he calls the “Biolithical” method. Hayden served in the United States Air Force after attending Morehouse College as a Psychology Major. While serving in the Air Force, he studied and became nationally certified as a radiologic technologist. Hayden hopes to one day help bring quality healthcare to developing countries around the world through the use of telemedicine.